Silica is frequently used as a filler in rubber compositions that are intended for or are utilized in tire components, primarily tire treads. While silica can impart certain desirable properties (e.g., decreased rolling resistance, improved abrasion resistance) to the rubber compositions into which it is incorporated, successful incorporation and mixing of the silica can be difficult for various reasons including the tendency of the silica to agglomerate together which can lead to uneven and inconsistent dispersion throughout the rubber composition. The limited compatibility of silica (as compared to other fillers such as carbon black) with the conjugated diene (co)polymer(s) used in these rubber compositions has led to the use of relatively expensive functionalized (co)polymer(s), as well as processing and dispersing aids and coupling agents. Along with the additional expense involved with adding coupling agents, their use can have other disadvantages. For example, unreacted silica coupling agent that remains in a rubber composition can lead to an undesirable decrease in abrasion resistance. Increased mixing of the rubber composition (allowing for more complete reaction of the silica and the coupling agent) can decrease this undesirable result; however, longer mixing times can themselves lead to higher costs and other disadvantages.